Meet Henry. Henry is a 6ft-tall Hen Harrier who’s very, very lonely. He’s struggling to find a mate because most of his potential girlfriends have been bumped off on grouse moors. Henry is flying around the British Isles in search of a significant other and you can follow his progress as he posts daily photographs…
Tag: grouse shooting
What are the Rules?
Last autumn I visited Rules restaurant in London with a couple of friends on a reconnaissance mission. The visit is briefly described in Inglorious: conflict in the uplands. Rules is London’s oldest restaurant and has a lot of game on its menu. On the day that we visited we could have had grouse but none…
And another work of art from the BAWC conference
Have you seen Henry? I have! What a stunning boy he is! Henry started his tour of Britain yesterday in Buxton at the excellent BAWC conference. Which grouse moors might Henry dare to visit? Which organisations might be treated to a Henry sky dance? #haveyouseenhenry.
Vote Hen Harrier for your national bird
David Lindo’s idea of voting for a national bird certainly seems to have caught the public imagination. It is also the subject of a grassroots campaign to get the Hen Harrier elected as our national bird (or at least for it to be a surprise well-rated also-ran). I’ve voted for the Hen Harrier in this…
Still a slim chance
Parliament is dissolved in 11 days’ time and that is all the time that remains for Defra to do something this year! It could be about to release a report suggesting a lead-free future, but I somehow doubt it. It could be about to throw lots of money in the direction of the Hawk and…
Environmental question time
Yesterday evening I attended an environmental question time organised by the Sibthorp Trust, British Ecological Society and CIEEM, and chaired by Jonathan Dimbleby. The panellists were Natalie Bennett (Green Party), William Cash (UKIP), Barry Gardiner MP (Labour), Lord (Rupert) de Mauley (Conservative Defra minister), Baroness Kate Parminter (Liberal Democrats, Environment Spokesperson) and Dr Eilidh Whiteford…
Inglorious
Inglorious: conflict in the uplands will be available for Hen Harrier Day (9 August), the Inglorious 12th and thereafter. Published by Bloomsbury in late July – but you can order it now on World Book Day.
Four weeks to go
In the eight months since I launched an e-petition on the government website to ban driven grouse shooting I have become more and more convinced that it is the right thing to do – and even that it is inevitable. Standing just short of 21,000 signatures, this e-petition now has four weeks to gather a…
Sunday book review – What Nature does for Britain by Tony Juniper
Is nature beautiful or is it useful? Should we protect nature for its own sake or for our own sakes? Is nature priceless or can it have a value put on it? The answer to these questions can all be ‘Yes to both’ but we don’t treat the natural world as though we would say…
OK, Hawk and Owl Trust – where are you?
A recap: the Hawk and Owl Trust has, unbeknownst to most of its members, become very keen on Hen Harrier ‘brood management’ (known to many as brood meddling). This move has positioned the H&OT very strangely in one of the most contentious debates in UK conservation. Rare Bird Alert held an online poll which showed…